NEW RELEASE: Kristen Lee Sergeant’s ‘Falling’ is due out February 25, 2022 via Tiger Turn

Kristen Lee Sergeant presents magical concept album ‘Falling’ due out February 25, 2022 via Tiger Turn

Release show at Joe’s Pub on March 31, 2022

Watch the Lyric Video for First Single “Let’s Fall”

Tiger Turn Productions is delighted to announce the February 25, 2022 release of Falling, a new album by effervescent vocalist Kristen Lee Sergeant.  This wide-ranging new release further enhances the singer’s well-earned reputation for artistic versatility; here, she combines the roles of vocalist, composer, artist and curator in a striking departure from her previous two critically acclaimed albums. Accompanied by Jeb Patton (piano), Hannah Marks (bass), Jay Sawyer (drums), Jody Redhage Ferber (cello) and Ted Nash (soprano saxophone), Sergeant surrenders herself entirely to the concept of ‘falling’ in a daringly creative leap of faith. 

Based in New York City, both her debut and sophomore releases (Inside Out and Smolder) were awarded DownBeat Magazine ‘Editor’s Pick’ designations and she was praised for “moments of engaging drama, whether she’s seductively sliding into a note with a near-whisper, delivering a breathy revelation or belting out a lyric with full-throated muscularity”. That variety of musical color derives from Sergeant’s rich tapestry of influences that stretch far across artists (Dianne Reeves, Judy Garland, Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple) and art forms (jazz, theater, opera and 1970s pop). 

Falling, her third studio album, sees a change of direction as Sergeant revisits her formative feel for musical drama. A wholly-immersive experience, Falling is a full-bodied concept album that brings listeners on an extraordinary musical journey, touching on numerous emotional high points along the way. Informed by the precarious times we’re in, but never bogged down by it, Sergeant’s latest is an exploration of the feeling, the state, and even the mythos surrounding the act, and the gravity, of ‘falling’. 

The aptly titled “Let’s Fall” sets the scene, as Sergeant drops headfirst into a dusky night-time landscape full of nocturnal thrills. It flashes through vaudevillian chansonnery and bristling quintet textures, where Patton emerges as a stellar soloist. Sergeant’s natural penchant for storytelling appears on the mythical cathartic journey of  “Sisyphus”, where she tells the age-old tale of “pushing that rock up that hill”. Perpetual resistance is eventually overtaken by a sense of acceptance, as the tune settles into a bobbing, lilting feel that transports the musicians higher and higher.

Sergeant composed “Infinity Blues” after meeting an astronaut, and this piece begins its flight with Nash’s searching soprano solo. “Swing doesn’t have to be retro,” Sergeant notes. She sings, “I’ve got the infinity blues / I want no weight in my shoes”, epitomising the song’s essential, existential drifting through life.

Kristen Lee Sergeant by Jordan Frey

“Chiaroscuro” is an allusion to Renaissance art captured in music, with well-crafted counterpoint featuring starkly lit moments that wax and wane throughout. Next up, the ingenuity of Sergeant the lyricist comes to the fore as “Honey” squeezes out a stream of rich, gooey imagery over a classic get-up blues, where bassist Hannah Marks really lays it down. 

More strong imagery flows out of the ensemble on the fluttering “Birdsong”, as Sergeant warns us of the dangers of settling for illusory comfort when freedom is still an option. “The prize isn’t worth the game,” Sergeant reflects on “Better Off”, but this is an altogether more personal affair, that’s fleetingly brief yet packed with lingering sentiment. “Aren’t I naked enough for you?” she sings, pointedly.

Myths and legends abound on this record – next is the bold, dramatic “Orpheus”. What might Hades sound like? Drummer Jay Sawyer gives us some sort of answer, grooving through triple time into a head-nodding pocket surrounded by Greek chorus-style vocal arrangements. “Autumn Nocturne” then takes it down a notch in a cool, elegant presentation of Sergeant the vocal technician. The energetic span of “Black Magic” is fuelled by Nash and Sergeant’s warring trades and vaults into unhinged surrender. 

With elements of jazz, musical theater, chamber music and 1970’s pop dotting her vast musical landscape, Sergeant paints a vivid musical portrait that is easy to get lost in. “From Greek myths to outer space, I hope to bring listeners on a rewarding and thoughtful journey in sound,” Sergeant reflects. “And I get to be their Virgil, stumbling down ahead of them.” Conceived as a rich multidisciplinary work, partnered with the recording is an immersive conceptual concert, scheduled to take place on March 31 at Joe’s Pub within The Public Theater in New York City.

1. Let’s Fall

2. Sisyphus

3. Birdsong

4. Chiaroscuro

5. Honey

6. Infinity Blues

7. Better Off

8. Orpheus

9. Autumn Nocturne (Josef Myrow, Kim Gannon)

10. That Old Black Magic (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

All music by Kristen Lee Sergeant unless otherwise noted

Kristen Lee Sergeant (vocals, song, arrangement)

Jeb Patton (piano)

Hannah Marks (bass)

Jay Sawyer (drums)

Jody Redhage Ferber (cello)

and Ted Nash (soprano saxophone)

Kristen Lee Sergeant Website

NEW RELEASE: Violinist Tomoko Omura to Release BRANCHES VOL. 2 on June 18, 2021 via Outside in Music

Outside In Music Announces Branches Vol. 2, The Eagerly-Awaited Second Installment of Celebrated Violinist Tomoko Omura’s Roots Series, Out June 18, 2021

“…a gifted composer and passionate instrumentalist.” – Strings Magazine

Outside in Music is thrilled to announce the release of Branches Vol. 2, the eagerly-awaited new installment in imaginative violinist-composer-arranger Tomoko Omura’s Roots series. A companion to last summer’s critically acclaimed Branches Vol. 1, this vibrant issue features six more of the Shizuoka-born artist’s original compositions inspired by Japanese folktales, and arrangements of Japanese popular songs. Accompanying Omura on this exploration of sound and culture is her working quintet made up of guitarist Jeff Miles, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Jay Sawyer.

In 2015, New York-based Tomoko Omura released Roots, a ten-track collection of well known Japanese songs rearranged for a modern jazz quintet. Since then, the violinist has made a concerted effort to intertwine her Japanese heritage with her virtuosic jazz artistry on each subsequent recording project. “There’s a promise inherent in contemporary music, and it goes something like this: with people from various backgrounds—culturally, ideologically, religiously, aesthetically—creating art, everyone can benefit from the exposure to new ideas,” remarked Downbeat Magazine’s Dave Cantor in his Editor’s Pick review of Omura’s initial Branches offering. On this riveting follow up, the synergy between the ensemble’s five members has been fortified by continual collaboration. Omura deepens her compelling tribute to Japan with evocative material that builds a causeway between deeply rooted tradition and contemporary invention.

Branches Vol. 2 is split evenly between Omura-penned compositions and folk songs, tallying three of each. The album begins with a stately march leading to a luscious passage of pizzicato violin, vocals and rhythmic underpinnings from Omura’s steadfast rhythm section. The piece is “Come Firefly”, a well known traditional Japanese folk tune.“Fireflies are magical creatures that have always fascinated me,” shared Omura. “My rendition of this folk song has a sci-fi element. I was imagining communication through lights by celestial beings.” Omura’s violin soars above overdriven guitar and discordant pianistic refrains on this surrealist celebration.

Omura’s original “Melancholy Of A Crane” offers a contrapuntal and wistful exploration inspired by the Japanese folktale “Tsuru no Ongaeshi” (The Crane’s Return of Favor) – a melancholy tale of a crane who returns a favor to a man. One can hear the flight of the swan in the gentle melodic musings of the violin over the rhythm section’s triple meter. “To-Ryan-Se” is another popular folk song that dates back to the Edo era (1603 – 1867). “Children sing this song like a game,” Omura described. “It is played by multiple children facing each other, and they form a bridge with their arms, while other children pass through the bridge while singing. At the end of the song, the bridge comes down and one child will be stuck inside the bridge. That’s the game!” Omura also hints at a haunting and yet wondrous meaning behind the song’s actual lyrics. This element is captured in Omura’s arrangement in the playfulness of the melody and the inherent sense of adventure it exudes. The melody features unison playing from Omura and Miles, which elicits a  response by Zaleski, echoing the game from which the material is derived. The piece features stunning solos from Omura, Zaleski and Miles.

Next up is “Bow’s Dance”, a folksong of the Ainu people, the indigenous people of Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido and some of its nearby Russian territories. A close friend of Omura who extensively researched the Ainu introduced her to the great Ainu singer Umeka Ando. Ando’s interpretation of this song left its mark on Omura, and so she decided to include it here. 

“Tomie’s Blues” is Omura’s composition dedicated to her grandmother, Tomie Omura, who passed away several years ago. The artist remarks, “I was very close to her and we lived together for 18 years of my life. This song is 12 bars long, just like the typical blues form, but the melody is repeated multiple times with changing note durations expressing the elasticity of time.” The contemplative ballad features wonderful solos from Menares and Zaleski. 

The concluding track is“Urashima Suite”, the fantastical tale of a young boy’s adventure that encapsulates the bittersweet nature of the passage of time. Omura and Zaleski lead us on this wondrous journey through multiple tonalities, conjuring an array of emotions and experiences including imagery of the ocean and a place called “Dragon Palace” referenced in the original tale.

In a 2021 feature in Strings Magazine, Omura shared that her Roots project is ongoing, and something that she plans to continue exploring. She told journalist Greg Cahill: “It’s developing in a few interesting directions. Just like branches. I like storytelling in music that takes us somewhere else while listening. Also, for me, re-discovering the Japanese musical elements and using them in new ways is a fun thing to do. It’s still an ongoing project, and I’m already thinking about where it can go next.” 

Label: Outside in Music OiM2116

Track listing: 

Come Firefly 5:41 (Japanese Traditional/Tomoko Omura)

Melancholy Of A Crane 7:11 (Tomoko Omura)

To Ryan Se 6:44 (Japanese Traditional/Tomoko Omura)

Bow’s Dance 6:47 (Ainu Traditional/Tomoko Omura)

Tomie’s Blues 5:40 (Tomoko Omura)

Urashima Suite 6:38 (Tomoko Omura)

Tomoko Omura Website

Caroline Davis - Heart Tonic (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS March 23, 2018)

Born in Singapore to a Swedish mother and British father, Davis grew up in the United States from the age of six, settling first in Atlanta, then Texas and ending up in Chicago, where she attended Northwestern University and received a Ph.D in Music Cognition. It was in Chicago that Davis became engrained within the local jazz and improvisatory music community, one that is tight knit, diverse and particularly open to each player’s musical inclinations. 

Davis’s Chicago experience was instrumental in her development as a player. Regularly hearing local greats, like saxophonist Von Freeman, guitarist Bobby Broom, and pianist Ron Perrillo, playing in wide ranging musical contexts and interdisciplinary collaborations helped to shape her into a well balanced and genre defying artist. Davis was also privy to a range of artists, including one of her biggest influences, the iconoclastic composer/conceptualist Steve Coleman. 

Upon her move to New York City in 2013, Davis found herself as an outsider looking in. It was difficult to come from a place where she was established to an entirely different community, especially one as fractious as New York’s. Though, Davis soon showed that she was equal to its demands.

The roller coaster lifestyle of working as a professional musician in New York was challenging. Davis quickly saw that her days would have some career highpoints alongside humbling lows of everyday musician life. Friends like drummer Jay Sawyer helped her overcome her blues by coming along to sessions and gigs, thus helping establishing herself in the scene. Soon, Davis began to play more regularly with a diverse group of musicians, including Matt Mitchell, Greg Saunier, Billy Kaye, and Curt Sydnor. 

It was about this time that Davis found out that her father had heart arrhythmia. The news prompted her to do detailed research on the physical aspects of the human heart. 

It was with all of this in mind that Davis decided to compose this music, using the heart for its emotional connotation or utilizing ventricular rhythms as metrical devices. Composing helped not only in her emotional transition but also focused her study on biological aspects of the body. Heart Tonic finds Davis employing more standard jazz elements than in the music of her previous work, including formal harmonic changes and shifting meters. 


To assist in the recording, Davis employed a brilliant ensemble of young musicians, more aligned to swinging, straight ahead jazz, but who could also handle the challenges the composer posed for them in her idiosyncratic music. Pianist and keyboard player Julian Shore and percussionist Rogerrio Buccato had been friends with Davis since her time at Litchfield Jazz Camp nearly a decade ago. Trumpeter Marquis Hill is a Chicago contemporary and a perfect foil for Davis’s lithe alto. Originally from Israel, Tamir Shmerling is unwavering on acoustic and electric bass, while longtime friend and drummer Jay Sawyer always insures the music is remarkably propulsive. 

The recording begins with the churning “Footloose and Fancy Free,” a piece that relies on a cyclical bassline echoing the cycle of the heart’s superior and inferior vena cava leading to the brain and back but with an unconstrained melody singing above that anchor. The plaintive “Loss” is an introspective and emotional piece that was written quickly after a truncated musical connection in Chicago after Davis’s move, featuring Rogerrio Boccato on percussion. The swinging “Constructs” is a suite concerned with the insistency to make up words for the intangible, like using “heart” as a metaphor for honesty, bravery or sympathy. The waltzing “Fortune” is a thankful tribute to the new people and projects Davis has been involved with since relocating. It also features Benjamin Hoffmann on organ. “…TuneFor” is a drum feature for Sawyer stemming from “Fortune.” 

Wayne Shorter’s “Penelope” lent itself to the project as its heart beat like pulse is reminiscent of the rhythms her father’s arrhythmia was making in his own heart. Originally written for another album, Davis rewrote “Dionysian” in New York with a new mindset eschewing the filters of frustration that had limited her on her arrival; it provides an emphatic proclamation of place. The haunting “Air” floats on a bassline in 7 while the rest of the instruments play in 4, thus generating an ambiguous but stable cycle and bedrock for Shore’s lovely piano solo. The stirring “Ocean Motion” closes the recording with a piece in 9/4 in three sections, which leaves the listener with a healing final melody and incendiary drum solo. 

Caroline Davis’s new Heart Tonic is a moving and pulse livening journey through Davis’s emotional relocation from Chicago to New York and her investigation of the biology of the heart.

1. Footloose and Fancy Free

2. Loss

3. Constructs

4. Fortune

5. ...TuneFor

6. Penelope

7. Dionysian

8. Air

9. Ocean Motion

Releases March 23, 2018 

Caroline Davis - alto saxophone

Marquis Hill - trumpet

Julian Shore - piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha DX7, Roland JD-Xi

Tamar Shmerling - acoustic & electric bass

Jay Sawyer - drums

Rogerio Boccato (percussion 2, 9)

Benjamin Hoffman - organ (4, 5)

www.carolinedavis.org